232. Imām Ali (a.s.) – from his letter to Hudhayfa ibn Yamān, his governor of Madā'in: “I command you to collect land taxes rightfully and equally; do not violate what I sent you for and do not be negligent of it, nor make any innovation in it. Then distribute it equally and fairly among those who are entitled to it.”¹

233. al-Ghārāt – narrating from Abu Ishāq al-Hamadāni: “Two women came to Ali (a.s.) at the time of the distribution [of the wealth], one was Arab and the other non-Arab and he gave each one of them twenty five dirhams and a measurement of corn.
The Arab woman said, “O Commander of the Faithful! I am an Arab and she is a non-Arab.”
Ali (a.s.) said: “By God! I do not see any preference for the children of Ismā`il (Ishmael) over the children of Ishāq (Isaac) in this booty.”²

234. Ansāb al-Ashrāf – narrating from Hārith: “I was with Ali (a.s.) when two women came to him and said: ‘O Commander of the Faithful! We are poor and needy.”
Ali (a.s.) said: “If you are truthful, your rights would be incumbent upon us and all the well-to-do Muslims.”
Then he ordered a man to go along with them to the market and to buy for each one of them a measurement of corn, three pieces of clothes –dresses, scarves, and veils-- and to give one hundred dirhams from his own grants to each one of them.
When they returned, one of them unveiled her face and said: “O Commander of the Faithful! Favor me by what God has favored and honored you.”
He asked: “How has Allah favored and honored me?”
She said: “By the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.).”
Ali (a.s.) said: “You are right, who are you?”
She said: “I am an Arab woman and this woman is a freed slave.”
[Hārith said:] “He took something from the ground and then said: “I have read what was between the two tablets (the Quran) and I did not find any virtue for the children of Ismā`il over the children of Ishāq, even by an insect’s wing.”³

232. عنه علیه السلام ـ مِن كِتابِهِ إلى حُذَيفَةَ بنِ اليَمانِ والِي المَدائِنِ ـ: آمُرُكَ أن تُجبِيَ خَراجَ الأَرَضينَ عَلَى الحَقِّ وَالنَّصَفَةِ، ولا تَتَجاوَز ما قَدَّمتُ بِهِ إلَيكَ، ولا تَدَع مِنهُ شَيئاً، ولا تَبتَدِع فيهِ أمراً، ثُمَّ اقسِمهُ بَينَ أهلِهِ بِالسَّوِيَّةِ وَالعَدلِ.¹

233. الغارات عن أبي إسحاق الهمداني: إنَّ امرَأَتَينِ أتَتا عَلِيّاً علیه السلام عِندَ القِسمَةِ؛ إحداهُما مِنَ العَرَبِ، وَالاُخرى مِنَ المَوالي، فَأَعطى كُلَّ واحِدَةٍ خَمسَةً وعِشرينَ دِرهَماً وكُرّاًمِنَ الطَّعامِ.
فَقالَتِ العَرَبِيَّةُ: يا أميرَ المُؤمِنينَ، إنِّي امرَأَةٌ مِنَ العَرَبِ، وهذِهِ امرَأَةٌ مِنَ العَجَمِ!!فَقالَ عَلِيٌّ علیه السلام: إنّي وَاللهِ لا أجِدُ لِبَني إسماعيلَ في هذَا الفَيءِ فَضلاً عَلى بَني إسحاقَ!!²

234. أنساب الأشراف عن الحارث: كُنتُ عِندَ عَلِيٍّ، فَأَتَتهُ امرَأَتانِ، فَقالَتا: يا أميرَ المُؤمِنينَ، إنَّنا فَقيرَتانِ مِسكينَتانِ. فَقالَ: قَد وَجَبَ حَقُّكُما عَلَينا وعَلى كُلِّ ذي سَعَةٍ مِنَ المُسلِمينَ إن كُنتُما صادِقَتَينِ، ثُمَّ أمَرَ رَجُلا فَقالَ: اِنطَلِق بِهِما إلى سوقِنا، فَاشتَرِ لِكُلِّ واحِدَةٍ مِنهُما كُرّاً مِن طَعامٍ وثَلاثَةَ أثوابٍ ـ فَذَكَرَ رِداءً أو خِماراً وإزاراً ـ وأعطِ كُلَّ واحِدَةٍ مِنهُما مِن عَطائِي مِئَةَ دِرهَمٍ.
فَلَمّا وَلَّتا، سَفَرَت إحداهُما وقالَت: يا أميرَ المُؤمِنينَ فَضِّلني بِما فَضَّلَكَ اللهُ بِهِ وشَرَّفَكَ! قالَ: وبِماذا فَضَّلَنِي اللهُ وشَرَّفَني؟ قالَت: بِرَسولِ اللهِ صلی الله علیه وآله . قالَ: صَدَقتِ، وما أنتِ؟ قالَت: أنَا امرَأَةٌ مِنَ العَرَبِ وهذِهِ مِنَ المَوالي. قالَ: فَتَناوَلَ شَيئاً مِنَ الأَرضِ، ثُمَّ قالَ: قَد قَرَأتُ ما بَينَ اللَّوحَينِ فَما رَأَيتُ لِوُلدِ إسماعيلَ عَلى وُلدِ إسحاقَ علیهما السلام فَضلا ولَو جَناحَ بَعوضَة.³